Dishwashing machine



April 19, 1955 I. A. LOEB 2,706,486

DISHWASHING MACHINE Filed March 2, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet l W ATTORNEY April 9, 1955 A. LOEB DISHWASHING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 2. 1949 ATTOR N EYS April 19, 1955 A. LOEB DISHWASHING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet I5 Filed March 2, 1949 ATTOR N 5Y6 April 19, 1955 1.. A. LOEB DISK-[WASHING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 2, 1949 /flabd ATTORNEY:

April 19, 1955 L. A. LOEB DISHWASHING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 2, 1949 ATTOR N EYS United States Patent DISHWASHING MACHINE Lawrence A. Loeb, New Haven, Conn.

Application March 2, 1949, Serial No. 79,186 2 Claims. 01. 134-400 This invention relates to dishwashing machines, and more particularly to a household dishwashing machine of the cabinet type.

It is contemplated by the present invention to provide a dishwashing machine of simple and improved construction so that it may be economically manufactured and, at the same time, be eflicient in operation and readily controlled by the average person.

As illustrated, the device comprises a cabinet in whlch is mounted a tub having a depressed well at the bottom thereof and a motor or propeller mounted in this well so that a relatively small amount of water may be employed, and this water thrown upwardly by the propeller against dishes which are carried by a rack supported above the propeller well.

The tank is provided with upper and lower covers so arranged that the top of the upper cover is flush w1th the top of the cabinet. This upper cover is held down by a suitable latch member which may be operated by a push button at the front of the machine, and springs are arranged to raise the cover upon release by the latch member. Therefore, no projecting handles are necessary to raise the upper cover. The lower or inner cover may be raised by a handle attached thereto. This handle is disposed between the two covers in a way that it may be pressed toward the lower cover when the upper cover is closed, and, when the latter is opened, this handle will be moved upwardly so that it may be readily grasped by the user of the machine.

Moreover, a simple and efficient valve structure is provided to control the delivery of water to the tank, and means are provided to convey to the tank any leakage which may occur about this valve so that this leakage will not drop upon the floor of the room in which the machine is used.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved household dishwashing machine which is simple in construction and efficient in operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a household dishwashing machine simply constructed so that it consists of relatively few parts, and so constructed that it may be conveniently operated by the average householder with a minimum of effort.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an improved dishwashing machine of relatively simple construction which will be durable and efficient and unlikely to get out of order.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a dishwashing machine embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view of the control panel and some of. the associated mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the shaft of the control mechanism and the bearing therefor;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the upper portion of the washer on line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the dial at the front of the machine;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the handle of the lower or inner cover;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the operating cam; and

Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are diagrammatic views showing 2,706,486 Patented Apr. 19, 1955 the position of the cam at various stages of the operation of the machine.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, I have shown a cabinet 10 within which the tank or tub 11 is supported upon legs 12. These legs are also provided with depending ends 13 to support the motor 14 which rotates the propeller 15. At the upper end of the tank, the walls thereof are displaced inwardly on all four sides to provide a contracted neck 17. Above the neck, the walls are inclined outwardly at 18, then upwardly as at 19, and then in a horizontal direction as at 20. These Walls of the tank then extend downwardly, as shown at 21, to telescope over the upper edges of the walls of the cabinet.

The tank is closed at the top by an inner cover 22 and an outer cover 23. The outer cover 23 is rigidly secured to a rod 24 rotatably mounted in the portions 19 of the tank, and to this rod, adjacent the ends thereof, are rigidly secured arms 25 to which are connected one end of the springs 26. These springs are upon the outside of the tank, as shown in Fig. 1, and their forward ends are secured to adjusting rods 28 which pass through lugs 29 secured to the tank, and which are provided on their ends with wing nuts 30 so that the tension of the springs 26 may be adjusted. It will be apparent from Figs. 1 and 3 that the springs tend to draw the lower ends of the arms 25 forwardly so as to rotate the rod 24 and urge the outer cover to an upward or open position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

As the outer cover 23 is normally biased to stand in an open position, means are provided to latch it in closed position. This outer cover is provided on three sides with depending flanges 32 and the flange at the forward side of the cover is provided with an opening 33 (Fig. 6) through which is adapted to project a latching plunger 34. A depression or recess may be employed instead of a through opening. The rear end of this plunger is pivotally connected to a lever 35, which lever is pivoted intermediate its ends at 36 to a lug 37 secured to the top portion 20 of the tank. Pivotally connected to the upper end of the lever 35 is a rod 38 having a push button 39 on its outer end which projects through the face of the cabinet where it is accessible to be pushed inwardly by the user of the machine. A spring 40 surrounds the rod 38 and normally holds the push button 39 in an outward position, and the latch member or plunger 34 in an inward position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 6. It will be apparent that when the push button 39 is pushed inwardly the lower end of the lever 35 will be moved outwardly, as shown in dotted lines in this figure, thus withdrawing the latch plunger 34 from the opening 33 and permitting the springs 26 to raise the outer cover.

The inner cover 22 is provided with depending flanges 41 and, at the upper rear corners, is provided with lugs 42 hinged upon the rod 24 so that the inner cover may swing upwardly about this rod. This cover is provided with an opening closed by transparent material, such as glass 43, so that the operation of the machine may be observed by raising the upper cover. This glass is set in place by a gasket which prevents leakage of water therethrough, the form of connection being shown more especially in Fig. 6. The cover is provided with a depending flange 44 around the opening which receives the glass panel, and below the flange is an inwardly directed edge 45. An oval-shaped gasket of rubber or the like is provided to surround the glass 43, the shape of this gasket in cross-section being shown more especially in Fig. 6. It is provided with an upper portion 47 which mushrooms over the glass panel and the adjacent portion of the cover, and below this part of the gasket is a downwardly depending portion 48. Below the portion 48, the gasket is of U-shaped form, as shown at 49, so as to embrace the inwardly extending edge portion 45 of the cover. It will be seen, therefore, that this edge of the cover is embraced on both sides by the gasket, and, likewise, the edge of the glass is embraced on both sides by the gasket, the gasket being so shaped as to provide U-shaped channels to receive the edges of the part 45 of the cover, and of the glass, and thus make a watertight joint.

As shown more especially in Fig. 8 of the drawings, a handle member of inverted L-shaped form is attached to the inner cover. This member is provided with elongated slots 51 which are received upon headed rivets 52 secured to the front flange 41, so that the handle member may move upwardly and downwardly with respect to the cover. A flat spring member 53 is secured at its central portion to the horizontally extending portion of the handle 50, the free ends of this spring contacting the cover 22 and normally urging the handle upwardly so that the operator may extend his fingers below the rear edge of the handle and grasp it to raise the cover. When the outer cover is closed, as shown in Fig. 6, it will cause the spring 53 to be compressed and the handle member 50 will be depressed to a lower position toward the cover 22. However, when the upper cover 23 is raised, the spring 53 will raise the handle member 50 so as to permit the operator to grasp the same.

As shown more especially in Fig. 3, the lower portion of the tank 11 is provided with inwardly inclined walls 55, which walls converge toward a well or sump 56 hav ing vertical walls which lie closely adjacent the tips of the blades of the propeller, as it is within this well that the latter is mounted. It will be seen that with this construc tion any water which is in the tank will lie within the well 56 and be acted upon by the propeller, and that a relatively smaller amount of water will be required. A dishrack, designated generally by the numeral 57, is supported in the tank upon the upper ends of the inclined walls 55 so that the water will be thrown upwardly toward the dishes on this rack by the propeller 15.

Also connected to the well 56 is the drain pipe 59 by means of which the tank may be emptied. The outlet 60 of the tank to the drain pipe is controlled by a valve 61, this valve having a stem 62 connected to one end of a lever 63 which is pivoted at 64 tothe wall of the drain pipe 59. An overflow pipe 65 (Fig. 3) communicates with the tank at its upper end, and at its lower end with the drain pipe 59 below the valve 61 so that the tank may not be filled above the level of this pipe.

A float chamber 66 (Fig.4) is connected at its lower end with the tank by means of the pipe 67, and within this chamber is a float 68 having a stem 69 secured at its upper end by the slidable spring clips 69 to a lever 70 pivoted at 71 to the control panel (to be hereinafter described) which lever 70 carries a gravity switch 72. This switch may be connected to a light 73 at the front of the cabinet so that, when the water level reaches the desired height, a signal will be given to the operator so that he may close the inlet valve, as will be hereinafter v described.

Water is admitted to the tank through a spray nozzle 75 (Fig. 6), which spray nozzle has upwardly directed openings 76, and also downwardly directed openings 77, so that the water which enters through the nozzle will be directed downwardly toward the dishes on the rack 57, and also upwardly to the under side of the lower cover 22, so as to be deflected downwardly to the tops of the cups or glasses which may be supported in an upper position in the tank. The spray nozzle 75 is connected by the pipe 78 with a valve structure 79 (Fig. 4) which is connected by the pipe 80 to a source of water supply. The valve structure comprises a valve controlled by a vertically movable stem 81, the lower end of which rests upon a lever 82 pivoted to the valve casing at 83 so that, when the lever is raised, the stem 81 will be raised and close the valve against the entrance of water. When the vertically movable stem is lowered, the valve will be opened and permit water to enter the tank. The lever 82 is connected by a link 84 to a lever 85 pivoted at 86 to the valve housing, which lever is provided with a relatively long controlling arm 87. The valve casing 79 is supported upon a control panel 88, mounted at the front of the machine between the front of the casing and the front of the tank, as shown in Fig. 3, and a spring 89 secured at one end to the controlling arm 87, and at the other end to this panel, normally holds the controlling arm in its lowermost position, shown in Fig. 4, which holds the valve stem 81 in its upward or closed position. Also secured to the panel 88 is a guide bracket 90 having a slot 91 which receives the end of the arm 87, and guides this arm in its movements.

A casing or well 92 is carried by the control panel, and the valve structure is housed within this casing, as shown in Fig. 3. The casing is open at its upper end, but closed at its lower end so as to catch any water which may leak from the valve casing 79. This water is allowed to drain into the tank through a pipe 93 connected to the bottom of the casing 92, and connected at its other end to the float chamber 66.

A bearing hub 95 (Fig. 5) is secured to the control panel, this bearing hub being provided with mounting arms 96 and 97, the latter of which is provided with a boss 98 to which is pivoted a rod 99 carrying a mercury switch 100 designed to control the motor 14. A spring 101 secured at one end to the free end of this arm and at the other end to the control panel 88 normally holds this gm downwardly or in a position in which the switch 1s 50 I,

Rotatably mounted in the bearing hub 95 is a control shaft 102 which extends through the front of the casing, and which is provided on its outer end with a knob 103 by which the shaft may be rotated, this knob being provided with indicia, as shown in Fig. 7, to cooperate with a mark on the cabinet and indicate when the device is in off, spray, wash, and rinse positions.

Upon the inner end of the control shaft 102 is provided a control cam 105 of irregular shape, as shown for example in Fig. 4. This cam is roughly of elliptical shape, and, adjacent the ends of its longer axis, is provided with forwardly projecting pins 106 and 107 which project toward the control panel 88, and which are adapted, when the cam is rotated, to contact the arm 87 of the inlet valve and raise this arm so as to open the valve and permit water to spray into the tank through the spray nozzle 75. The control cam is also provided with pins 108 and 109 arranged closer to the axis of the shaft 102 than the first-mentioned pins, which latter pins are adapted to contact the rod 99 and raise this rod so as to tilt the mercury switch 100 to a position to energize the motor 14.

Also connected to the controlling cam 105 is one end of a rod 111 (Fig. 4), the other end of which is connected, through the spring 113, to the lever arm 63 which controls the valve 61 so that, as will be apparent, the rotation of the cam 105 controls the inlet of water to the tank, the operation of the motor 14, which drives the propeller 15, and the draining of the water from the tank. The rod 111 is provided at its intermediate portion with a turnbuckle 112 so that its length may be adjusted. The valve 61 is urged upwardly by the weight 114.

The operation of the device is as follows:

In the ofl position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings, the controlling cam 105 stands in such a position that the valve arm 87 is held downwardly by the spring 89, thus holding the inlet valve closed. The switch arm 99 is also held in its lower position by the spring 101 so that the switch to the motor is open and the motor is at rest, and the drain valve 61 is held in its upper or raised position so that the tank will be empty. When the dishes to be cleaned have been placed upon the racks within the tank, the knob 103, as shown in Fig. 7, is rotated in a clockwise direction from the oil position to the spray position or through an angle of 90. This moves the control cam 105 to the position shown in Fig. 10 in which the pin 106 engages the arm 87 and opens the inlet valve to allow water to enter the tank through the spray nozzle 75. At the same time, the rod 111 is moved'upwardly so as to close the drain valve 61. This permits the tank to be filled to the proper level, but the propeller has not been set into operation as the switch arm 99 has not been moved.

The water entering the tank will also enter the float chamber 66 and, when the float rises to a sufficient extent to move the switch arm 70 to an upper position so as to illuminate the light signal 73, the operator knows that the proper amount of water is in the tank and the control knob 103 is then rotated through an additional angle of 90 or to the wash position, as shown in Fig. 7. This moves the control earn 105 to the position shown in Fig. 11. In this position of the parts, the valve arm 87 will be held downwardly by its spring 89 so that the inlet valve will be closed and the entrance of water into the tank will be shut off. The pin 108 will engage the arm 99 and raise it to a position to close the switch 100 and, therefore, start the motor. The rod 111 will be moved from the position shown in Fig. 10 to the position shown in Fig. 11, but this will still maintain the drain valve 61 in closed position. This is the operating or wash position wherein the propeller will be operated by the motor, but no water will be permitted to enter or leave the tank.

The parts may be kept in the above position for a suflicient length of time to thoroughly clean the dishes in the machine and, when this is accomplished, the control knob 103 is turned through an additional angle of 90, or to the rinse position shown in Fig. 7, which moves the control cam to the position shown in Fig. 12. In this position of the parts, it will be seen that the pin 107 has engaged the valve arm 87 and has opened the inlet valve to permit a spray of water in the machine through the nozzle 75. Also the switch arm 99 is held in its upper position by the pin 109 so that the motor 14 is rotating the propeller 15 so as to throw the water against the dishes upon the racks. The rod 111 has been moved to a position to open the drain valve 61 to a slight extent, but not to its full open position. This is the rinse position of the parts in which fresh water is introduced into the tank, waste water is also being drained from the tank, and the propeller is being operated so as to agitate the water in the well 56 and throw it upwardly over the dishes upon the racks.

When the dishes have been thoroughly rinsed, the control knob is turned through an additional angle of 90, which returns it to the off position shown in Fig. 7, which is the position shown in Fig. 2. This closes the inlet valve, opens the drain valve to its full open position, and stops the motor so that the dishes may be removed from the washer and the latter is ready for a subsequent operation.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A dishwashing machine comprising a tank, a cabinet surrounding the tank and having one wall thereof spaced from the adjacent wall of the tank, an inlet nozzle mounted in the wall of the tank to direct water therein and extending into said space, a panel member mounted in said space, a valve disposed within said space between the cabinet wall and the tank wall to connect said nozzle with the source of water supply, a well mounted below said valve to receive leakage therefrom, drain means providing an outlet for said well, and said drain means including a float chamber communicating with the tank and a pipe located in said space and connected to the float chamber whereby water in said well will drain into the tank.

2. A dishwashing machine comprising a tank, a cabinet within which the tank is enclosed, one wall of the cabinet being spaced from the adjacent wall of the tank, an inlet nozzle mounted in the wall of the tank to direct water thereinto, a panel member mounted in the space between the cabinet Wall and the tank wall, a valve structure mounted on said panel member and operatively connected to said nozzle to control the inlet of water into the tank through said nozzle, a well mounted on said panel below said valve to receive leakage therefrom, a float chamber extending into said space and communieating with the tank, and drain means connecting said well to the float chamber to provide an outlet for the well.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 937,363 Desjardins Oct. 19, 1909 1,009,223 Cochrane Nov. 21, 1911 1,037,073 Sonnemann Aug. 27, 1912 1,496,868 Blakeslee June 10, 1924 1,504,578 Rosenbaum Aug. 12, 1924 1,559,727 Merseles et al Nov. 3, 1925 1,606,715 Miller Nov. 9, 1926 1,632,182 Haskins June 14, 1927 1,778,620 Barta Oct. 14, 1930 1,980,064 Johnston Nov. 6, 1934 2,022,637 Huppmann Nov. 26, 1935 2,155,868 Pauly et al Apr. 25, 1939 2,235,386 Rueckert Mar. 18, 1941 2,250,974 Stoddard July 29, 1941 2,257,436 Walker Sept. 30, 1941 2,271,993 Stoddard Feb. 3, 1942 2,276,670 Reifenberg et al Mar. 17, 1942 2,314,332 Ferris Mar. 23, 1943 2,324,333 Stoddard July 13, 1943 2,395,747 Loeb Feb. 26, 1946 2,591,080 Loeb Apr. 1, 1952 

